Election Board Game

ABSTRACT

The present invention entails an election game, a game board apparatus and a method of playing an election game simulating the democratic election process of the US President. The game board apparatus comprises a game board, multiple playing cards of various values, multiple colored playing pieces (or tokens) for each team/player, a “Declared State” playing piece (or token) to designate the Declared State, and one or more multi-colored die (or dice). Teams compete to win the Declared State for each round of play, and the game is won by the team that receives (accumulates) at least 270 Electoral College Votes (by winning sufficient states to accumulate 270 Electoral College Votes, for a game based on the US presidential election).

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit and priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/537,051 filed Jul. 26, 2017, titled “Election Board Game”, which provisional application is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to board games, and more particularly to a board game which simulates the excitement and unpredictability of the political election process.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Various presidential election games are known in the prior art. Generally, these games allow players to compete for winning the title of President Elect of the United States (or for other jurisdictions and/or top political positions). However, most of these existing games are targeted either towards adults (making them unsuitable for young players) or are targeted towards children (rendering them “boring” for adult players).

There is an unmet need in the market for an exciting and entertaining team-based, election-themed board game which can be enjoyed by the entire family, with a multigenerational appeal. There is also a need for such board game to be relatively inexpensive, flexible, easy to learn and play, and available across various play platforms (online, paper, electronic, on computers, as an app for mobile devices, etc.).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention responds to this unmet need in the market by introducing an exciting and entertaining team-based, election-themed board game, which can be enjoyed by the entire family, with a multigenerational appeal. The present invention is a board game that is relatively inexpensive, flexible, easy to learn and play, and available across various play platforms (online, paper, table-top, electronic, video-game, on computers, as an app for mobile devices, etc.). The present invention combines elements of luck, randomness, strategy, skill, memory, risk taking and team-play, resulting in enhanced play-value. Embodiments of the present invention offer multiple modes of play, with varied levels of difficulty and duration for each round of play, scalable from a two player version all the way up to multiple teams, and even with options for solo play against a computer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the present invention, as to its structure, functionality, use and method of operation, together with further objectives and advantages thereof, will be better understood from the following drawings in which a presently preferred embodiment of the invention will now be illustrated by way of example. It is expressly understood, however, that the following drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only, and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a depiction of a typical game board according to a preferred embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a depiction of a typical regular playing card according to a preferred embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 3 is a depiction of a “Scandal” playing card according to a preferred embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 4 is a depiction of a “Super PAC” playing card according to a preferred embodiment of this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION AND ITS PREFERRED METHOD OF USE

A preferred embodiment of this invention is a game apparatus comprising:

-   -   a game board;     -   multiple playing cards;     -   multiple colored playing pieces (or tokens) for each         team/player;     -   a “Declared State” playing piece (or token) to designate the         Declared State;     -   one or more multi-colored die (or dice).

Referring now to the invention in more detail, FIG. 1 shows a typical game board according to a preferred embodiment of this invention, depicting a stylized map of the USA and its 50 states plus the D.C. federal district. Each state has a color assigned to it (preferably one of five different regional colors, according to a state's inclusion in one of the five regions of USA, such as West, Midwest, Central, Northeast, South, etc.); the assigned number of Electoral College Votes is also preferably marked on each state (jurisdiction) on the map depicted on the game board. Optionally, various other separate areas may be depicted/defined/delineated on the game board, preferably outside of the map perimeter, such as: an area for placing discarded state-cards, an area for placing Super PAC cards, an area for placing Scandal cards, an area for storing the entire deck of cards, an area for storing playing pieces and dice, an area for throwing the die, etc.

As depicted in FIG. 2, a typical regular playing card according to a preferred embodiment of this invention is a state-card, preferably of a generally rectangular shape and of a size suitable for being held in a human hand, each such card comprising:

-   -   a “Card Value” preferably printed at the top, preferably ranging         from 1 to 10 (the winning order of Card Values are: 1 is the         lowest, followed by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, with 10 being the         highest); for the US Northeast region (depicted in yellow in         FIG. 1), which includes 11 states instead of 10 states         (DC—District of Columbia is not considered a state but has         electoral votes), the state cards would preferably bear Card         Values ranging from 1 to 11, with 11 being the highest;     -   a “Play Value” preferably printed at the bottom (preferably,         there are only three possible values for any card's Play Value:         nine, seven or five);     -   the state name (or abbreviation) and the number of assigned         number of Electoral College Votes, printed preferably on the         central region of the card.

A typical regular playing card for each state is preferably of the same face color as the color assigned to the respective state on the game board shown in FIG. 1, or preferably has a significant portion of its face in the same color assigned to the respective state on the game board shown in FIG. 1. As an example of a preferred embodiment, a Colorado regular playing card is depicted in FIG. 2.

Aside from the regular playing cards (state-cards) described above, several Super PAC cards and Scandal cards are also included with the game, preferably bearing humoristic, realistic or informative details regarding particular possible types of Super PACs and Scandals which may influence the electoral process. As examples of a preferred embodiment, a Scandal card is depicted in FIG. 3, and a Super PAC card is depicted in FIG. 4.

A preferred method of playing the game according to this invention preferentially envisages four or more players, grouped in at least two teams (for example, representing Democrats vs. Republicans), but alternative embodiments of the game can be played with only two opposing players, or even one player playing against a computer, or one team against a computer. Further alternative embodiments could even be played by more than two teams (for example, three teams, each representing Democrat vs. Republican vs. an Independent candidate, etc.).

Game Rules According to a Preferred Embodiment of this Invention

How a Declared State is Determined:

a) To determine the opening hand dealer, shuffle the deck of state-cards and deal one state-card to each player face up. The first player to receive a yellow state-card becomes the opening hand dealer. In alternative embodiments, any other known method of establishing the opening hand dealer can be used for this purpose.

b) The Super PAC and Scandal cards are also shuffled and one Super PAC card and one Scandal card will be turned face up and laid on the playing surface.

c) Starting with the player to the right of the dealer, the dealer deals one state-card face down to each player clockwise until each player has received nine state-cards.

d) Once each player has received nine state-cards, all players can inspect their cards and the player to the right of the dealer can declare a state color or declare a “pass”. This is called the Declaration Round.

e) If a player passes on the state color declaration, then the player to the right of the passing player can declare a state color or a “pass”. This Declaration Round sequence continues until a player has declared a state color or all players have passed.

f) If a player declares a state color then that player's partner can further declare a specific state in the declared color, or declare a “pass”. If that player declares a specific state, then that state becomes the Declared State. To declare a state, a player must have the Declared State state-card in their current hand of nine state-cards.

g) If a player passes on declaring a state when their partner has declared a state color, then the player to the right of the player who declared the state color can declare a state color or declare a “pass”. This Declaration Round sequence continues until all players have passed on declaring a state color or declaring a state.

h) If all players pass on declaring a state color or if no state is declared during the Declaration Round, then the dealer will roll the die to determine the declared state color. This is called the State Declaration Round. A special multi-color, multi-faceted die is preferably used (whereby each face is of a different color matching the range of state colors offered in the game), or, in the alternative, regular dice (with numbered faces) can be used, in conjunction with a system for associating each state colour to a number on the regular die.

i) Starting with the player to the right of the dealer, each player, in turn, can then declare a state in the state color determined by the roll of the die, or each such player can then declare a pass. If that player declares a state in the rolled state color then that state is the Declared State for the Playing Round. If that player passes, then this State Declaration Round sequence continues until all players have had a chance to declare a state or declare a pass.

j) If all players pass in the State Declaration Round then the dealer will turn up the top card of the remaining deck of state-cards to reveal the Declared State. If that revealed Declared State has already been won, then the dealer will continue to turn over the remaining state-cards until one state-card has been revealed that has not been won. That state-card will be the Declared State for the Playing Round.

k) Once the Declared State has been determined, either through the Declaration Round or through the State Declaration Round, if that state's Play Value is nine, each player will play with nine state-cards. If that state's Play Value is seven then all players will discard two state-cards of their choice and play with seven state-cards. If the state's Play Value is five, then all players will discard four state-cards of their choice and play with five state-cards. A state's Play Value is indicated on the bottom of each state-card and will preferably have a value of nine, seven or five.

l) Before a Playing Round is started, a player can replace a dealt state-card with any Super PAC or Scandal card in their possession to be played in that Playing Round.

How to Win the Declared State

i) The player that declared the Declared State or the player to the right of the dealer (if the Declared State was determined by turning over state-cards) lays down (face up) a card of their choice. The other players, going clockwise in turn, must lay down a card in the same color. This is called the Playing Round.

ii) If a player does not have a state-card in that color, they can lay down a card of their choice.

iii) The player that laid the state-card with the highest Card Value of the four cards played in the sequence defined in i) will win the hand. A Scandal or Super PAC will defeat any regular state-card and the Declared State state-card can defeat all cards (including the Scandal or Super PAC cards).

iv) The team that wins the majority of the hands will win the Declared State. The team which won the Declared State will then place one of their playing pieces on the state on the game board and receive the number of Electoral College Votes assigned to that state.

v) The player that declared the winning Declared State will be the first player to declare a color for the next Declaration Round, with the player to their left becoming the dealer for the next Declaration Round.

vi) If the team that declared the state loses the Declared State in the Playing Round, the opposing team is awarded one Super PAC card or one Scandal card. The round-winning team has the option to choose whether they want a Super PAC card or a Scandal card and which player receives it.

vii) A Super PAC or Scandal card is not awarded to the winning team if the Declared State is declared through the State Declaration Round.

viii) If no Super PAC or Scandal card is awarded in a Playing Round, the current Super PAC and Scandal card that is turned up will be discarded, by being moved to the bottom of their respective piles. A new Super PAC and Scandal card will be turned up for the next Playing Round. This procedure continues until the game is won.

How to Win the Game.

According to a preferred embodiment of this invention, the team that receives (accumulates) at least 270 Electoral College Votes (by winning sufficient states to accumulate 270 Electoral College Votes) will win the game (for a game based on the US presidential election); other versions of the game and other embodiments of this invention may have different winning requirements, depending on the specific country or election process modelled.

Order of Card Values for Playing Round.

In the Playing Round, each state-card will be assigned a Card Value. For the purposes of winning hands, the Card Value will be at the top of each state-card. The winning order of Card Values are: 1 is the lowest followed by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, with 10 being the highest Card Value. A Scandal or Super PAC card has a higher value than any state-card Card Value and therefore will beat the highest Card Value in the playing Round. The Declared State state-card has the highest value in the Playing Round and can defeat any card played (including the Scandal or Super PAC cards).

Using the preferred (or modified alternative) embodiments of this invention, other alternative game formats are possible, such as:

-   -   Quick Version: Declaration Round is eliminated and players         proceed directly to the State Declaration Round;     -   Two-player version: similar to the description of the preferred         embodiment above, but with the term “team” replaced by the term         “player” in the games rules given above. In a two-player version         of the game, the Declaration Round is eliminated and players         proceed directly to the State Declaration Round;     -   Challenge Version: Scandal or Super PAC cards are also dealt out         at the beginning of each round, and can be used at any time.

Alternative embodiments of the present invention may optionally be based on the democratic election process (and/or electoral maps) for other countries or for other elected positions, or even for imaginary jurisdictions and positions (such as The President of the Galactic Federation, Chancellor of Middle-Earth, etc.). For such alternative embodiments of the game, the rules, playing cards, pieces, maps, and game board(s) may be altered (to conform to the specifics of those alternative positions, maps, democratic process, election mechanics, etc.), but shall be considered as part of the invention described herein as long as the spirit, the scope and the flow of the game are similar to the ones described in this specification.

Further alternative embodiments of the present invention may be also offered in an Electronic game format, whereby the game board is preferably replaced with an electronic or virtual board and the cards are preferably replaced with electronic or virtual ones. Such Electronic game formats may be implemented through a game app or through other computer or electronic formats, whether software or hardware based. Hybrid paper-electronic versions of the present invention are also envisaged. A further alternative of the Electronic game format according to the present invention is the online (over a wired or wireless network) mode of play (preferably on a centralized game server or/and as a distributed application, as known in the art), which would allow players (and/or teams) from around the world to play the game against each other regardless of their location in the world. An option for solo play against a computer is also envisioned.

Optionally, the following items may additionally be provided as part of the board game kit of this invention:

-   -   a plurality of maps (and/or map overlays, and/or game boards);     -   score sheet(s);     -   rule book;     -   timing devices;     -   workbook(s);     -   informational and educational literature and/or trivia related         to states, to politics, to maps or to the electoral process;     -   a case (box and/or bag) in which to store the game.

With regard to construction materials, any suitable materials may be used to make the game components of this invention, as typically known and used in the prior art for board games, paper games, card games, electronic games and/or video games. With regard to size and dimensions, the board game according to the present invention may offered in any practical size suitable for playing, from pocket size to stadium size.

While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is considered presently to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiments, methods, and examples herein. The invention should therefore not be limited by the above described embodiment, method, and examples, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention and within the scope of the claims herewith. 

I claim:
 1. A game board apparatus for playing a United States Presidential election game comprising a playing board with the fifty states and the District of Columbia, grouped and arranged in geographical regions and approximately outlining the map of the United States; a set of playing cards, each such playing card inscribed with a card value, a play value and indicia corresponding to a certain US state; multiple distinctive playing pieces for marking won states; a “Declared State” playing piece for marking a Declared State during game play; one or more dice; one or more set(s) of trump cards.
 2. A method of playing the game board apparatus of claim 1 by two or more players organized in opposing teams, said method comprising the steps of dealing a number of playing cards to each player; declaring a Declared State to be played in each state round; playing to win each said Declared State by winning a majority of hands in each state round; playing to win said game by winning sufficient Declared States to accumulate a majority of electoral votes calculated by a totaling of electoral votes assigned to each Declared State won in each state round. 